“Fuck off. He’ll destroy you,” I spit at him.

“I’m going to let that slide, just this once. John’s good. Very good. But don’t think for one second that I’m not better. Now, you have a show to watch. Unless you want me to shoot you up with more of this?”

He pulls a syringe out of his back pocket.

“I’m not watching shit. And you can take that and shove it straight up your ass.”

He quirks his brows and shoves the syringe into his pocket again.

“Is my heroin not good enough for you? Do you want something better? Cocaine, perhaps? Crack? You name it, I’ve got it.”

I’m momentarily shocked speechless.

“No cocaine, either? That’s too bad. Did you know cocaine can heighten your sexual arousal? It delays your orgasm but it increases your sex drive. Raymond over there would like nothing more than to show you just how much it improves his sexual performance. Would you like me to let him show you?”

He grips my chin and jerks my head towards this man named Raymond.

“Go to hell, both of you!”

“You know, I’ve had it with your mouth. Raymond, bring me some tape and put that chair over there right next to my brother. She’s going to watch.”

I struggle against him when he lifts me up and carries me over to the chair. Manny’s head is now slumped down, the blood on his face now dried up. I squeeze my eyes shut as tightly as I can. I fight to get away. My hands are pulled severely behind my back. This time, I feel my shoulder pop. Pain shoots down my arm and I cry out. Neither of these unhinged men pay any attention as they tie my hands behind my back and tape my mouth shut.

“Secure her good, Raymond,” Royal firmly commands.

The minute he leaves the room, Raymond takes advantage of my situation.

“Very pretty,” he chuckles, running his dirty hands up my leg. Once he has his nasty hands on the inside of my thighs, he pushes them open. Tears form in the back of my eyes. My voice is muffled, incoherent behind the tape. He continues his exploration, sliding his hands up my sides, brushing the underside of my breasts. He stills, leaving one hand around my neck, the other one reaching for the tape on the floor. I continue to watch him, horror stricken, as he tapes my body to the chair.

Do not show fear!

He drops the tape back on the floor and spreads my legs again. That’s when I notice this dumb fuck hasn’t taped my legs. I could easily kick him with the heel of my shoe. I’ve never loved my six-inch Louboutins more than I do right now. These things are weapons, and somehow I’m going to use them. How they’ve managed to stay on through everything, I will never know. One thing I do know is, if I ever have a son, his name will be Christian.

Raymond slides his body backward a few inches. Lifting my leg, I kick him square in his balls, digging the point of my shoe in as far as I can until he crumples to the floor screaming.

“I will get my chance to fuck you, bitch!” Raymond screeches with hunger raging out of him.

I lose it, and aim my foot straight for this bastard’s dick again when the door opens. I’ll be damned. My eyes go wide as saucers as I see Royal’s arm is draped around Emerald, of all people. This slut really gets around.

“Raymond, what the fuck are you doing, man? Get your ass up.”

“This cunt kicked me in the balls before I had a chance to tie her feet!” he complains, stumbling when he tries to stand. He leans forward, still cupping his balls.

Anger is such a cruel bitch. She arises inside of me even more at the sight of that fucked up bitch stalking her way towards me.

“Remember what I said, baby. Do not touch her. You say what you have to say and then leave and wait for me.”

Royal’s eyes are glazed over with fury and something else. Oh, God. They’re both high. I can see it all over her face when she stands directly in front of me. One would think a professional killer would want to be lucid enough to complete his job. No wonder this family is so dead set against drugs. He’s a user.

“Come on, Royal. You know I want to slice this bitch’s throat.”

“She’s hurting enough as it is. Get over it. Say what you need to say. When the time comes to kill her, I told you she’s all yours.”

Holy shit. These people are fucking crazy!

“Did you hear him, you fucking bitch? I’m going to have so much fun with you. And here’s the kicker; your husband is going to watch. He is going to watch me rip every piece of hair out of your head. He’s going to watch me do so many things to you. I’m going to end you. You have no idea how much I wish I could do it right now. That I could pick up Raymond’s knife over there and slice you open from here to here,” she signals from my chin to my crotch.

I do my best to hide my fear from her, too. I’m not giving up on the fact that my dad is out there. They will stop at nothing to find Manny and me.

“Enough! Come here!” Royal commands, and she goes to him. He puts his hands all over her. On her ass. In her hair. I’m gagging behind this tape, sickened by the sight in front of me. This woman has no limits. She’s a traitor and a whore. For the first time in my life, I want to kill someone, and my target is standing less than a few feet away from me. I’m going to beg my dad to let me be the one to pull the fucking trigger to place this bitch right next to her father in hell.

Finally they pull away from each other and he watches her walk away. Once the door is shut, he turns his disgusting gaze back to me. Sick asshole. I know he reads my expression. He smirks and paces lethally towards Manny. My heart plummets.

“Make sure she watches,” he orders, pointing at me.

Raymond comes up behind me, forcefully gripping the sides of my head and jerking it to the disturbing picture in front of me. He compels my eyes to stay open.

“Wake up, little brother. It’s time to party.”

He slaps Manny on the face several times. Manny mumbles something I can’t understand, his head wobbling from side to side. I watch in grief stricken horror when he grabs Manny’s hair and yanks it back.

“We have unfinished business. I need you awake. Come on, brother.”

Manny says nothing. His eyes are almost dead. I fear for his life now, this man who is my husband’s best friend. My cousin. He has kept me safe for years and now I have no way of helping him.

I don’t know where Manny gets the strength, but all of a sudden he rears his head forward even with the tight grip on his hair and slams his forehead into Royal’s nose. Blood pours out and Royal stumbles back, stunned.

“Fuck you, Royal. You can do whatever the hell you want to me, but you will never control Dad’s empire. You will die right along with me.”

Royal straightens up, wiping the blood from his nose.

“So, you’re not such a little pussy after all. Let’s see how much you got left in you after I do this?”

He punches Manny swiftly in the gut, causing him to jerk forward as if he is trying to catch his breath. I scream behind the tape as Royal picks up that long knife, studying it for a bit. He looks his brother dead in the eye.

“I think I need to send a message to Mom and Dad, don’t you?”

Oh, no. Please, no. I can’t bear to watch this. Manny’s hands are tied to the arms of the chair. With one swift and heavy swing of the knife, Royal chops one of Manny’s fingers off.

A chilling cry echoes through the room. I’m nearly suffocating from my tears. Manny is rocking the chair back and forth violently as he tries to get a grip on the pain. I swear I can feel it. I observe the blood trickling onto the floor, trying to count every drop. There’s just way too many. It won’t stop bleeding.

“Bandage him up. Leave her there and then come outside.”

Royal is holding his brother’s severed finger in his hand. He’s abhorrent, immoral. How could he do such a thing to his own brother? I scrutinize the knife when he drops it on the floor. How I wish I could pick it up and carve his darkened heart out of his chest.